Will the side effects ever cease?
Will the side effects ever cease?
Re: Will the side effects ever cease?
I understand all too well what you're going through. I've been on Avonex for almost 5 years now. I also had side effects much longer than what Biogen states is the "typical" time period. For me, they lasted about 1.5-2 years but have now reached a level where they are negligible. Now, I just plan on taking it easy the day after my injection as my energy levels are much lower than normal.jdamon wrote:Will these side effects ever go away?
I also tried using Tylenol for dealing with the side effects as per Biogen's literature. However, I found that Tylenol was not at all helpful and had one of the worst fevers that I can recall ever having after my first injection. My doctor's nurse suggested I try ibuprofen instead and this has worked for me. During the first year or so, I would start taking ibuprofen about 12 hours before my injection followed by 24 hours after my injection. The dose I used was 600 mg of ibuprofen about every 6 hours always with food. Fortunately, I'm now to a point where I can get by with just one 600 mg dose at the time of my injection although sometimes I need to follow this up with another 400 mg about 8 hours later. In addition, I discovered that I get by best if I take my injection during the day rather than try to "sleep through the side effects" since that never really worked all that well (I often woke up in the middle of the night with a fever, chills, or shakes). However, I found that I'm usually ok during the day and sleep all right if I inject around noon.
NHE
Re: Will the side effects ever cease?
7 years now and I'm still achy the next day. I've found that 1 advil 1/2 hour before the shot between 5 and 6 pm and two more at bedtime gets me through the night. Then DEFINITELY another one or two in the morning whenever I wake up and possibly another during the day. I try to limit the amount taken to minimize potential liver problems. I have a much easier day on Sunday than any other day of the week, so I take it Saturday evening.jdamon wrote:I've been on Avonex for 1 year now and still have the normal side effects every week that come with it. I've gotten a pretty good routine to minimise the effects using Tylenol, eating, rest, and more Tylenol, but they are still there every week. Some weeks are worse than others. The neuro said when I started I'd only have them a couple of months. Wrong. Then he talked about switching to Copaxone for less side effects but I prefer the once a week routine. Will these side effects ever go away?
The suggested Tylenol did almost nothing for me either. I'm just hoping to switch to Tysabri again or perhaps to LDN. Switching to LDN would remove the pressure to remain employed without interruption. Been through one layoff already and it made me very aware of my precarious situation because I could never afford Avonex myself.
Thanks for the suggestions on how to tame this medication. I've been trying not to think too much about this illness but the time has come to learn everything I can. This site has a bunch of necessary information.
All I want is less to do,
more time to do it,
and higher pay
for not getting it done.
Good luck.

All I want is less to do,
more time to do it,
and higher pay
for not getting it done.
Re: Will the side effects ever cease?
I don't believe that MRIs are performed on any set schedule. I think that it's really up to your doctor's discretion. It's been my experience that my neurologist only ordered an MRI when I was experiencing significant new symptoms. However, blood tests are different and if I remember correctly, they should be done about once every 6 months or once a year after you've been on Avonex for a while.jdamon wrote:How often should we have mri's and blood tests?
NHE

All I want is less to do,
more time to do it,
and higher pay
for not getting it done.
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